1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to apparatuses for controlling virtual or real objects including electrical devices, hardware devices, software programs, software products, software systems, and/or software objects included in software programs, products, and/or systems and methods for making and using same.
More particularly, embodiments of this invention relate to apparatuses for controlling virtual or real objects including electrical devices, hardware devices, software programs, software products, software systems, and/or software objects included in software programs, products, and/or systems, where the apparatuses include (1) one object or a plurality of objects, (2) at least one motion sensor capable of sensing linear and/or angular motion, linear and/or angular velocity, linear and/or angular acceleration, changes in linear and/or angular motion, changes in linear and/or angular velocity, changes in linear and/or angular acceleration, and (3) at least one processing unit in control communication with the object or objects for converting sensor output into commands for controlling some or all of the objects and/or some or all of the attributes associated with some or all of the objects. The present invention also relates to methods for making and using the apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
The demands and requirements of electrical switches, software programs, software systems, software products, software objects, software menus and user interfaces continue to accelerate. In fact, in residential and commercial environments, the number of electrical switches and user interfaces has grown as fast or faster than the number of new electrical devices introduced in the marketplace. As the number of electrical switches and user interfaces has increased, the need for sure, certain activation and deactivation of the switches and controllers for real and/or virtual objects has become ever more apparent. As our society has grown increasingly technical, the number of software object, menus and systems has grown exponentially. The need for user interfaces that can be used across all these platforms is greater now than ever.
For example in both residential, industrial and commercial environments, overhead lighting is typically controlled by a manual on-off switch on the wall. The switch is in the form of a mechanical lever that simply causes the circuit to open or close. Very little has changed over the years in this ubiquitous standard electrical switch.
Some minor variations, however, are found in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,421,881 to Heasty discloses the use of a rotatable disk with a number of recesses around its periphery. The disk is supported on a hub and two electric contact arms provide electric current through conductor rods in alternately spaced recesses. As the disk is rotated, electrical contact is made and then broken.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,863,010 to Riedl discloses a spring loaded push plate that is designed to activate all electrical contacts underneath the plate at once or to selectively engage electric contacts underneath the plate by rocking the plate in the direction of the desired electrical contact.
Additionally, it is known in the art to provide variable control over electrical devices, for example, again, lighting fixtures, by means of so-called dimmer switches. Functioning in a manner well-known in the art, the dimmer switch is activated by the well-known lever or, in some cases, by a knob that is simply twisted.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,861,188, 7,831,932, and 8,788,966 disclosed apparatuses and methods for controlling devices and/or programs and/or objects based on motion and changes in a direction of motion.
While motion based systems and methods have been disclosed, there is still a need in the art for motion-based apparatuses, systems, and methods, especially apparatuses, systems, and methods that are capable of monitoring and acting on linear and/or angular velocity, linear and/or angular acceleration, changes in linear and/or angular velocity, and/or changes in linear and/or angular acceleration to affect changes in real and/or virtual objects or collections of real and/or virtual objects.